The electric guitar has greatly impacted music ever since it’s invention in the 1920’s. Popular music has progressed in the past century from jazz to metal and the guitar has changed along with the genres. The electric guitar has even helped to define the sound of some of these genres, such as rock and roll. The development of amplifiers, effects pedals, and pickups has increased the versatility of the electric guitar over the years. As the years pass, the electric guitar and all of its technology will continue to improve and impact music.
Introduction
Since its invention in the 1920’s, the electric guitar has been a consistent element in popular music due to its versatility in various styles of music, which also evolve with time. Throughout its existence, the electric guitar has been used to play various styles of music, including jazz, blues, rock and roll, and metal, due to the development of pickups, effects, and amplifiers in order to modify the sound produced. As history can show, different eras of popular music have different necessities, either cosmetic or functional, which are met through modification of the guitar and its accompanying equipment.
History of the Guitar
Prior to the invention of the guitar, there were many different stringed-instruments, such as the Grecian lute and Indian sitar, which existed long before the guitar was ever around. Despite these predecessors having little in common with the modern day guitar, they had an influence on its invention. Around 1850, a Spanish luthier named Antonio Torres created what is considered the modern classical guitar, which consists of a hollow guitar body, sound hole, neck, headstock, fretboard, bridge, and six tuning pegs and strings tuned to, from left to right when facing the front of the guitar, EADGBE. This design has stayed relatively unchanged ever since. In 1900, the bracing of the guitar was slightly modified so that steel strings could be used, rather than gut strings, to produce an increase in volume from the guitar.
The acoustic guitar was originally used in classical music of the early 1900’s as a solo instrument. However, as big-band music evolved in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the guitar began to be primarily used in the rhythm section because it simply could not produce enough volume to be heard over the other instruments. The problem of low volume in acoustic guitars lead to the creation of the electric guitar, which could be heard more easily with the aid of pickups and amplifiers. The electric guitar was invented in the 1920’s, although it did not gain popularity until the 1930’s. Originally, electric guitars were hollowbody guitars, which, quite literally, meant that the guitars were hollow. Pickups, simply mounted to the top of the guitar, transmitted the sound produced by the guitar strings to the amplifier. Although these hollowbody designs were able to increase the volume of the guitars, they were also prone to feedback at higher volumes. This inherent flaw lead to the creation of the solidbody guitar.
The Solidbody Electric Guitar
In 1940, Les Paul, a very prominent guitarist of the time, created the first solidbody prototype known as “The Log.” The new solidbody design was similar to the original hollowbody design except that it had a solid block of wood running through the center of the guitar where the pickups could be mounted. This new design improved upon the hollowbody guitar by eliminating the feedback caused by the resonance inside hollowbody guitars. It also increased the length of time notes could be sustained. By 1948, Leo Fender was able to create the first commercially successful solidbody guitar known as the Broadcaster.
The Era of Rock and Roll
By the 1950’s, the era of rock and roll was just beginning. With the creation of the solidbody guitar, guitarists such as Chuck Berry were able to revolutionize the way guitars were played. The grittiness and distortion that defines the sound of rock and roll was created simply by plugging a guitar into an amplifier and cranking up the volume. With the advent of rock and roll, the limits of the electric guitar and its vacuum tube amplifiers were tested in order to create a new distinct sound. The amplifiers distorted the signal coming from the guitar due to the increased voltage caused by playing the guitar at maximum volume and hitting the strings with plenty of force. This new sound of rock and roll was a strong starting point from which popular music continued to develop.
By the 1960’s, the electric guitar had become a lead instrument in most genres of the time. Many popular songs had a signature riff or guitar solo within the structure of the song. However, the music styles of this era required more from the electric guitar than in previous years. By now, overdrive and distortion from the amplifier gave the electric guitar a varied sound, but in order to continue being a lead instrument, the guitar needed to evolve further. New amplifiers were designed to make significant changes to the way a guitar sounded. Various circuit designs and vacuum tube selections were beginning to radically shape how the electric guitar sounded through different amps. With the use of various resistors, capacitors, and vacuum tubes, the voicing of an amplifier can be changed significantly. Using components with different values or compositions will have different effects based on how the entire circuit interacts with itself and the rest of the amplifier. The creation of the “halfstack” and “fullstack,” which are guitar amplifiers placed directly on top of one or two 4x12 speaker cabinets, also shaped the sound of the electric guitar by projecting volume further and creating more complex frequency interactions from each speaker. At this time, Marshall Amplification, founded by Jim Marshall, and Vox Amplification, founded by Tom Jennings, started putting up stiff competition with Fender in the amplification business by providing different “signature” tones from their amplifiers.
Effects Pedals
Along with the different amplifiers on the market, effects pedals were also used to modify the guitar’s signal so that it could be heard differently. Some common guitar effects include “overdrive,” “fuzz,” “distortion,” “wah,” “reverb,” “delay,” and “chorus.” All of these effects shaped the sound of the guitar and, therefore, make it even more versatile than before. All of these effects could be used individually or in combination with each other to modify the guitar signal on demand. The only thing a guitarist has to do besides play the guitar is to step on a button on each effect pedal in order to turn it on or off. With such an array of effects, guitarists had the ability to make their guitar sound like almost anything, such as the sound of a human voice with a “wah pedal” or the sound of playing guitar underwater with a “chorus pedal.” This versatility helped the guitar retain its prominent position in popular music.
The Beginning of Metal and New Extremes
After classic rock and hard rock had been established for nearly two decades, the guitar world was taken to a new extreme with the advent of metal. This genre required the guitar to adapt more drastically than before. In order to meet the demands of metal, amplifier manufacturers designed amplifiers that could provide significant amounts of gain and distortion to make the guitar sound loud and aggressive. Amplifier circuits were redesigned to provide a drastic increase in preamp distortion, which sounds somewhat harsh and like a buzzing noise. This type of distortion is different than the power amp distortion, which sounds warmer and less extreme, evident during the classic rock era. In addition, electric guitar pickups were also designed to provide as high of an output as possible to help push amplifiers even harder. One drastic update to this technology was the creation of active pickups. Normal pickups, known as passive pickups, are composed of a magnet that is wrapped a few thousand times in copper wire coils. However, active pickups incorporate their own preamp circuit and power supply, which is typically a 9V battery. The main advantage of an active pickup is that the active pickup can amplify the guitar’s signal more than a passive pickup, which results in the amplifier being driven harder by the increased signal coming from the guitar. Therefore, the use of active pickups and updated amplifiers helped the guitar produce the sound typical of metal music.
Cosmetics
Over the years, not only has the sound of the electric guitar adapted, but its physical appearance has evolved as well. Some considerations in design include paint color, finish, binding, fretboard inlays, and body shape, which vary both to the demands of the genre and the desires of the individual artist. Guitar manufacturers make many different models to meet the diverse needs of their clientele. A few of the most recognizable guitar designs include the Les Paul, Stratocaster, Telecaster, Flying V, and SG, although there are plenty of other designs that exist. Typically, jazz players prefer hollowbody guitars, whereas metal guitarists prefer guitars with some radical and unique shape. No matter what genre of music is played, the guitar still needs to satisfy its owner cosmetically as well as functionally.
Conclusion
Since the invention of the electric guitar, popular music has changed quite drastically. In the past, jazz and big-band were popular. Today, popular music is much more eclectic in that rock, rap, R&B, and dance are all popular genres. While popular music is always changing, one thing is certain; the electric guitar will continue to develop and evolve. Amplifiers will be redesigned, effects will be created and modified, and guitars will continue to be built, customized, and improved upon. Even though popular music has become more diverse, the electric guitar will continue to contribute and shape the sounds of the future as well as the present.
Abstract
The electric guitar has greatly impacted music ever since it’s invention in the 1920’s. Popular music has progressed in the past century from jazz to metal and the guitar has changed along with the genres. The electric guitar has even helped to define the sound of some of these genres, such as rock and roll. The development of amplifiers, effects pedals, and pickups has increased the versatility of the electric guitar over the years. As the years pass, the electric guitar and all of its technology will continue to improve and impact music.Introduction
Since its invention in the 1920’s, the electric guitar has been a consistent element in popular music due to its versatility in various styles of music, which also evolve with time. Throughout its existence, the electric guitar has been used to play various styles of music, including jazz, blues, rock and roll, and metal, due to the development of pickups, effects, and amplifiers in order to modify the sound produced. As history can show, different eras of popular music have different necessities, either cosmetic or functional, which are met through modification of the guitar and its accompanying equipment.History of the Guitar
Prior to the invention of the guitar, there were many different stringed-instruments, such as the Grecian lute and Indian sitar, which existed long before the guitar was ever around. Despite these predecessors having little in common with the modern day guitar, they had an influence on its invention. Around 1850, a Spanish luthier named Antonio Torres created what is considered the modern classical guitar, which consists of a hollow guitar body, sound hole, neck, headstock, fretboard, bridge, and six tuning pegs and strings tuned to, from left to right when facing the front of the guitar, EADGBE. This design has stayed relatively unchanged ever since. In 1900, the bracing of the guitar was slightly modified so that steel strings could be used, rather than gut strings, to produce an increase in volume from the guitar.The acoustic guitar was originally used in classical music of the early 1900’s as a solo instrument. However, as big-band music evolved in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the guitar began to be primarily used in the rhythm section because it simply could not produce enough volume to be heard over the other instruments. The problem of low volume in acoustic guitars lead to the creation of the electric guitar, which could be heard more easily with the aid of pickups and amplifiers. The electric guitar was invented in the 1920’s, although it did not gain popularity until the 1930’s. Originally, electric guitars were hollowbody guitars, which, quite literally, meant that the guitars were hollow. Pickups, simply mounted to the top of the guitar, transmitted the sound produced by the guitar strings to the amplifier. Although these hollowbody designs were able to increase the volume of the guitars, they were also prone to feedback at higher volumes. This inherent flaw lead to the creation of the solidbody guitar.
The Solidbody Electric Guitar
In 1940, Les Paul, a very prominent guitarist of the time, created the first solidbody prototype known as “The Log.” The new solidbody design was similar to the original hollowbody design except that it had a solid block of wood running through the center of the guitar where the pickups could be mounted. This new design improved upon the hollowbody guitar by eliminating the feedback caused by the resonance inside hollowbody guitars. It also increased the length of time notes could be sustained. By 1948, Leo Fender was able to create the first commercially successful solidbody guitar known as the Broadcaster.The Era of Rock and Roll
By the 1950’s, the era of rock and roll was just beginning. With the creation of the solidbody guitar, guitarists such as Chuck Berry were able to revolutionize the way guitars were played. The grittiness and distortion that defines the sound of rock and roll was created simply by plugging a guitar into an amplifier and cranking up the volume. With the advent of rock and roll, the limits of the electric guitar and its vacuum tube amplifiers were tested in order to create a new distinct sound. The amplifiers distorted the signal coming from the guitar due to the increased voltage caused by playing the guitar at maximum volume and hitting the strings with plenty of force. This new sound of rock and roll was a strong starting point from which popular music continued to develop.By the 1960’s, the electric guitar had become a lead instrument in most genres of the time. Many popular songs had a signature riff or guitar solo within the structure of the song. However, the music styles of this era required more from the electric guitar than in previous years. By now, overdrive and distortion from the amplifier gave the electric guitar a varied sound, but in order to continue being a lead instrument, the guitar needed to evolve further. New amplifiers were designed to make significant changes to the way a guitar sounded. Various circuit designs and vacuum tube selections were beginning to radically shape how the electric guitar sounded through different amps. With the use of various resistors, capacitors, and vacuum tubes, the voicing of an amplifier can be changed significantly. Using components with different values or compositions will have different effects based on how the entire circuit interacts with itself and the rest of the amplifier. The creation of the “halfstack” and “fullstack,” which are guitar amplifiers placed directly on top of one or two 4x12 speaker cabinets, also shaped the sound of the electric guitar by projecting volume further and creating more complex frequency interactions from each speaker. At this time, Marshall Amplification, founded by Jim Marshall, and Vox Amplification, founded by Tom Jennings, started putting up stiff competition with Fender in the amplification business by providing different “signature” tones from their amplifiers.
Effects Pedals
Along with the different amplifiers on the market, effects pedals were also used to modify the guitar’s signal so that it could be heard differently. Some common guitar effects include “overdrive,” “fuzz,” “distortion,” “wah,” “reverb,” “delay,” and “chorus.” All of these effects shaped the sound of the guitar and, therefore, make it even more versatile than before. All of these effects could be used individually or in combination with each other to modify the guitar signal on demand. The only thing a guitarist has to do besides play the guitar is to step on a button on each effect pedal in order to turn it on or off. With such an array of effects, guitarists had the ability to make their guitar sound like almost anything, such as the sound of a human voice with a “wah pedal” or the sound of playing guitar underwater with a “chorus pedal.” This versatility helped the guitar retain its prominent position in popular music.The Beginning of Metal and New Extremes
After classic rock and hard rock had been established for nearly two decades, the guitar world was taken to a new extreme with the advent of metal. This genre required the guitar to adapt more drastically than before. In order to meet the demands of metal, amplifier manufacturers designed amplifiers that could provide significant amounts of gain and distortion to make the guitar sound loud and aggressive. Amplifier circuits were redesigned to provide a drastic increase in preamp distortion, which sounds somewhat harsh and like a buzzing noise. This type of distortion is different than the power amp distortion, which sounds warmer and less extreme, evident during the classic rock era. In addition, electric guitar pickups were also designed to provide as high of an output as possible to help push amplifiers even harder. One drastic update to this technology was the creation of active pickups. Normal pickups, known as passive pickups, are composed of a magnet that is wrapped a few thousand times in copper wire coils. However, active pickups incorporate their own preamp circuit and power supply, which is typically a 9V battery. The main advantage of an active pickup is that the active pickup can amplify the guitar’s signal more than a passive pickup, which results in the amplifier being driven harder by the increased signal coming from the guitar. Therefore, the use of active pickups and updated amplifiers helped the guitar produce the sound typical of metal music.Cosmetics
Over the years, not only has the sound of the electric guitar adapted, but its physical appearance has evolved as well. Some considerations in design include paint color, finish, binding, fretboard inlays, and body shape, which vary both to the demands of the genre and the desires of the individual artist. Guitar manufacturers make many different models to meet the diverse needs of their clientele. A few of the most recognizable guitar designs include the Les Paul, Stratocaster, Telecaster, Flying V, and SG, although there are plenty of other designs that exist. Typically, jazz players prefer hollowbody guitars, whereas metal guitarists prefer guitars with some radical and unique shape. No matter what genre of music is played, the guitar still needs to satisfy its owner cosmetically as well as functionally.Conclusion
Since the invention of the electric guitar, popular music has changed quite drastically. In the past, jazz and big-band were popular. Today, popular music is much more eclectic in that rock, rap, R&B, and dance are all popular genres. While popular music is always changing, one thing is certain; the electric guitar will continue to develop and evolve. Amplifiers will be redesigned, effects will be created and modified, and guitars will continue to be built, customized, and improved upon. Even though popular music has become more diverse, the electric guitar will continue to contribute and shape the sounds of the future as well as the present.References
[1] Joyce, Christopher. “The Electric Guitar.” NPR: The Electric Guitar, Present at the Creation. 12 August 2000. 13 May 2009. <http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/electricguitar/>[2] The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation. “The Invention of the Electric Guitar.” 2007. 13 May 2009. <http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/electricguitar/invention.htm>
[3] Guy, Paul. “A Brief History of the Guitar.” 2007. 13 May 2009. <http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/BriefHistory.html>
[4] Charron, A.J. “A Brief History of the Guitar.” 13 May 2009. <http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/brief-history-of-the-guitar/>
[5] “Music During the 1920s – 1930s.” 11 July 2008. 13 May 2009. <http://www.socyberty.com/History/Music-During-the-1920s-1930s.164167>
[5] “The History of Rock’n’Roll.” 13 May 2009 <http://www.history-of-rock.com/indx.html>
[6] “Marshall Amplification.” 13 May 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Amplification>
[7] “Vox Heritage.” 13 May 2009. <http://www.voxamps.com/us/history/thevoxstory1/>
[8] “Historical View of Metal.” 2004. 13 May 2009. <http://www.anus.com/metal/about/history.html>
[9] “Pick up (music technology.” 9 June 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_(music)>
[10] 9 June 2009. <http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?section=guitars>
[11] 9 June 2009. <http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars.aspx>
[12] 9 June 2009. <http://www.ibanez.com/product.aspx>
[13] 9 June 2009. <http://www.espguitars.com/guitars.html>
[14] 9 June 2009. < http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/>
[15] 9 June 2009. <http://www.deanguitars.com/home.php>
[16] 9 June 2009. <http://www.schecterguitars.com/>